The Uncalled For
by house arrest
Summary: The Animorphs are used to dealing with enemies that can use science way more advanced than anything humans have ever seen. But what if the enemies begin to use... magic? Gen at first; future Tobias/Marco
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** The Uncalled For (Chapter 1)  
**Author:** House Arrest

**Pairings: **Gen at first, future Tobias/Marco

**Summary: **The Animorphs are used to dealing with enemies that can use science way more advanced than anything humans have ever seen. Heck, they are _results_ of science more advanced than anything human. But what if the Yeerks found a completely different approach to conquering the human race?  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Animorphs.

[There's a meeting later today,] an intrusive voice said straight to my head. Weird you say? Well, yes, it is, but what's weirder is that I don't find it weird anymore. I didn't even flinch. I knew that particular thought-voice.

I concentrated on question nineteen and tried to send it telepathically to Tobias. He could help. Sure, he's been a hawk a while now but there's still a chance he could remember algebra. I concentrated all I can.

He didn't receive anything. Of course. Thought-speak was only an option when you're in morph. Or unless you're an Andalite. I'm neither at the moment.

[Erek's got news. Big news. He just told me and Ax.] Tobias fell silent after that. What more was there to be said? The words "Erek" and "news" conveyed all the information you'll ever need. Which is way too much information when you're trying to answer an algebra test that spells the difference between going to Acapulco with your dad or staying at home battling aliens without a break.

A test of sanity and relaxation underneath equations about x and y getting it on. The test of all tests. If there was one test I needed to do well on, it was this. Apparently, Fate thought otherwise.

By the way, the name is Marco.

So, want me to back up and explain? Okay, the things you need to know: Earth is being invaded by parasitic alien slugs, I can become a semi-telepathic animal anytime I wanted, and I had no idea how to use the value of x to get to y. I couldn't do anything about the last one, but the first two were actually quite simple. Relatively. In a life and death manner.

The bell rang. "Time's up. Pass your papers forward," the math teacher's voice boomed. "All papers not on the desk in the next fifteen seconds get to meet the faculty shredder." There was a mad scrambling to submit papers after that. I should know: I see women madly scrambling to meet me. It's definitely on their minds; they just need to act it out.

I sighed, dejectedly submitting my horribly scribbled-on sheet of paper. Bye dad. See you in two weeks. Don't worry about the plants. I'll buy new ones, you won't know the difference when you get home.

I rushed out the classroom as if the fate of the world depended on me. By Tobias's tone of voice, it probably did. And there's a good chance I'll end up dead. If I'm lucky. If my luck is anything to go on, I'll be a controller by next week.

Now you know why I wanted to leave for Acapulco

A bald eagle flew into the barn just seconds ahead of me. I landed on the hay-strewn floor and demorphed. I heard a sickening snap as Rachel's bird bones rearranged, and soon enough my own body started doing the same weird things. Puberty hasn't got a thing on us Animorphs.

[Here comes Jake now,] Tobias announced from the rafters. That was his station, always on the look-out for any intruders. A second later, a peregrine falcon landed beside me. Jake began to emerge immediately.

"Rachel, I've been wondering," I began. "Why don't you just say 'Let's do it!' now and save us all the trouble of planning? The results will be the same either way."

Rachel rolled her eyes. I guess this sudden meeting wrong-footed her as much as it did me.

"What's this about?" Jake asked as soon as he made the final transition to being human.

"What?" I asked incredulously. "You don't know the latest reason why we'll all hurdle to our deaths?"

"Not that we need a reason," Rachel appended. I hope she was joking.

A Canada goose squawked as Cassie forced a pill up its- I looked away, thankful I was not a poor injured bird in Cassie's tender-loving hands.

Jake was studiously not looking at this.

Erek emerged from the barn wall. He didn't destroy the wall, mind you; he just sort of shimmered into place, which meant he changed his hologram from showing a harmless wall to a harmless android. Harmless to anyone else except Animorphs, of course.

"Where's Ax?" Rachel asked.

"With the free Hork-Bajir," Tobias explained. "We need Toby's input. We'll meet Ax there when we're ready to move."

"And?" Jake asked in his low, silky voice. It was the voice he uses to let everyone know that his last bit of patience was running out.

"The Yeerks have found a new weapon," Erek began, and we all fell silent. "Not an extra-terrestrial weapon. It's a weapon from right here on Earth, one that we apparently did not believe to exist. Not even we Chee."

"An Earth weapon the Yeerks are interested in?" Rachel said in surprise. "I don't get it. Their dracons are more advanced than anything we've ever got." I agreed with her on this point. We all experienced dracon fire first hand.

"Maybe they finally learned to hold mall-wide clearance sales whenever they have serious events. We'll have one member out of the fight immediately." A flash of movement later, I was on the floor after having a pail crash into my forehead.

"Rachel, we need that pail," Cassie scolded. Like that was important.

"Excuse me, people," Jake interrupted.

Erek nodded. "Not necessarily more powerful, just different from what they commonly use. Not deadly, but infinitely more capable than rounding people up and forcing them to be controllers. More effective than The Sharing at convincing people to be voluntary controllers."

That stopped us dead in our tracks.

"Haven't they tried that before?" Cassie asked. "The secret formula that was supposed to eliminate free will? I thought it didn't work."

"So what new nightmare do we have to stop now?" I asked. ⌠Another hugely popular controller spokesperson? Yasmine Bleeth? Not that she's a nightmare, exactly."

Jake began massaging his temples.

I can see that Erek was hesitating. There were very few things that could give an Android pause, and even fewer when the said Android has been around longer than the entire human race. Whatever this was, it had to be bad.

"You won't believe this," Erek said.

Rachel snorted. A very elegant way to say, "Please go ahead. We've been suffering from a severe lack of nightmares lately and would like to be traumatized yet again." All that contained in one snort.

Erek sighed.

It was Tobias who told us. [The Yeerks have infested a witch. A real, live, witch. And it's not a joke.]

Author's Notes: Okay, trust me, I'm not going to ruin canon. Sure, I'll maim it here and there, but I won't just introduce magic out of nowhere. It has its place in the plot. Also, I'm writing from Marco's POV because I find it the most challenging perspective to internalize. For constructive criticism, please comment here. We all know what constructive criticism here, right? Right.

Also, thanks for reading!

And when I say magic, I don't mean the Harry Potter kind (not that I have anything against Harry Potter). I'm not talking about flashy, twirly magic. It'll be a subtle kind of magic. XD


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Uncalled For (Chapter 2)

**Title:** The Uncalled For (Chapter 2)  
**Author:** house arrest  
**Pairings:** Gen at first, future Tobias/Marco  
**Summary:** The Animorphs are used to dealing with enemies that can use science way more advanced than anything humans have ever seen. Heck, they are results of science more advanced than anything human. But what if the Yeerks found a completely different approach to conquering the human race?  
**Additional Notes:** Thanks to J the Drafter for letting me know that we can't use brackets for thought-speech. As such, I'll be using "/" and "\" instead. Which is totally screwing up my already-damaged punctuation. Also, we can't even use tildes? WTH?

I looked at Rachel. "Huh. So how's it like being a controller?"

"Pretty good. Want to find out what it's like to be a toad? That's a pretty big step up the evolutionary ladder for you, from being an earthworm."

"You know I'm the cutest earthworm around, babe," I replied in my Casanova voice.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Also the slimiest."

\I don't think earthworms are actually slimy/ Tobias intervened.

"People, and I use the term loosely," Jake said, "is there _any_ chance we can focus here? Erek, what can you tell me about this 'witch'?"

"Nothing much, and that's the point," Erek answered delicately. "You have to understand that among the Chee, I am the highest-ranked controller. But I'm still not part of any exclusive circles."

"You haven't met your monthly quota of dead bodies, huh?" I remarked.

Erek ignored the jibe. "But still, my rank clears me for certain levels of information. There was an announcement yesterday about the newest link in the chain of command. Sub-Visser 84 was presented to the assembly, and she's the one we should look after. We hacked into the host database and didn't find anything about her."

"So the Yeerks hid her profile very effectively?" Cassie volunteered.

I shook my head. "If the Chee can't find it, then it isn't there." Rachel nodded.

"Which means either she's connected to the highest circles, or they recognize that their information is vulnerable to some forces," Jake added.

\So they know the Andalite bandits have access to their information network/ Tobias opined. \Or do you think they vaguely suspect the presence of you Chee?/

Erek shook his head. "If they had even the slightest suspicion about us, they'd have taken far more drastic measures."  
"So they're probably eyeing the Yeerk renegades," I offered. It was the logical thing to do. Possibilities were already becoming clearer in the mind. Somewhere among the jumbled pieces of information will be a plan. And I'm the best when it comes to seeing the bright clear line. If we watch Tidwell…

"Speaking of the freedom fighters," Erek continued, "we can't approach them."

We all looked at him in surprise.

"That's how Sub-Visser 84 more or less proved she wasn't an ordinary human-controller. During the announcement, she calmly stated that there's a renegade in the assembly, and that whoever he was should climb the stage. And a mall janitor presented himself."

"So she's psychic. We've encountered psychics before," Rachel said. "Not humans, but still psychic."

"A freedom fighter wouldn't just present himself like that." Cassie. "Couldn't he have been planted?"

"He was a genuine freedom fighter," Erek said. "I've worked alongside him."

"Maybe he thought the Sub-Visser wanted a date? It could happen," I joked to break the tension.

"Not everyone's as desperate as you are for a date." Guess who.

"So we're dealing with a hypnotist?" Jake asked.

Erek shook his head. "Hypnotism wouldn't have forced someone to do something against his will. Movie hypnotism is grossly inaccurate. I helped Doctor Mesmer develop his technique."

\So it's mind-control/ Tobias clarified.

"Evidence so far points to yes."

"This just keeps getting better and better," Jake said darkly.

I held my hand up. "You mean there's someone out there who could stop the chicks from following my every whim? That is so not cool."

"Marco, two things keep us girls from following your every whim: taste, and common sense," Rachel honestly admitted to being a part of the sad and bitter minority. I just know it.

"So what do we do?" This was Jake's tagline for initiating democracy.

"Kidnap her, duh." This was Rachel's tagline for initiating insanity.

Cassie, the sane one in their friendship, objected. "If we're dealing with a potential psychic, we have to be extra careful."

"I really don't think it's possible to be more careful than we already are. My paranoia's already at its peak." I was being honest.

\I think we should find out more about this person/ Tobias, our default spy, said. \Who she is, where she lives, how could the Yeerks gotten her, etc. Remember, if she's psychic, the Yeerks wouldn't have been able to trick her./

"She could have been a voluntary host," Rachel pointed out.

\A psychic collaborator?/

"It's possible. But I don't think it's likely," Cassie, whose intuition was rarely ever wrong, said. "I think this runs deeper than that."

"So that's step one: we research," Jake finalized. "Marco, you and Ax know what to do. No Baywatch sites this time."

"You wound me!"

Jake ignored that, too. "Any more details?" he asked Erek.

Erek's hologram shimmered. For a brief while, we saw the ivory and aluminum combination of his true body before another image appeared before us. A woman. Possibly in her late teens, possibly in her early forties. It was impossible to tell.

I saw her eyes and forgot to look at the rest of her face. They were startlingly close to Ax's green eyes, but that wasn't what caught my attention. Even as a hologram, her eyes made you feel as if she could see right through you. As if there was no hiding from her.

For a brief surreal moment I felt a chill run up my spine.

"Her name is Grace Templeton." Erek said. "And that's all we know."

**Author's Notes:** Nope, she's not a Mary Sue. Or, at least, I'm making sure she's not a Mary Sue. But an original character? Yes, of course.

So how was it? I had to put a lot of analysis in this chapter. I hope I eliminated the plot holes... Also, I'm still getting used to 's format. I tried using the horizontal slide rule at the beginning and end of the chapter to separate it from the author's notes and etc., but it didn't work. How did anyone else address this?

As usual, please leave points for improvement in the reviews. Thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Uncalled For (Chapter 3)

**Title:** The Uncalled For (Chapter 3)  
**Author:** house arrest  
**Pairings:** Gen at first, future Tobias/Marco  
**Summary:** The Animorphs are used to dealing with enemies that can use science way more advanced than anything humans have ever seen. Heck, they are results of science more advanced than anything human. But what if the Yeerks found a completely different approach to conquering the human race?

I heard the telltale sound of wings flapping just outside my window. With the lightning reflexes of practice and paranoia (and practiced paranoia), I minimized the media player. Tobias flew in and landed on the bed's footboard, and I was thankful that hawks weren't as quiet as owls and that there weren't any thermals at night.

"Wrong house, dude. Rachel lives another two blocks from here," I said casually. I wasn't worried about his hawk-hearing picking up the subsiding nervousness in my voice. I had a back-up story if he asks, and it ain't pretty. And it's real.

\Duh. I practically live there every weekend/ Tobias countered. I was long past the point when I'd act indignant and jealous. Believe me: it's possible to be both at once. I've tried and it was good. I think. \I came here on purpose./

I shot Tobias a surprised yet flattered look. "Gee, Tobias, you really do care! But don't tell Jake. He's the jealous type."

He responded with an intense glare. More intense than usual, I mean. \Jake sent me to check on you. He, Ax, and Toby are hatching a plan, but we need more info. What have you got?/

"Ah, to business then! I'm sure your proclamations of devout love will come later on."

\Marco./

I sighed. I swear, hanging out with Ax is slowly draining him of his sense of humor. Or maybe his recent torture did it. One of the two. "I didn't get much." I pulled up several more browser tabs, being careful of which ones I click. "I hacked into the usual information goldmines. Credit card companies, bank accounts, hospital records . . . didn't get anything. By the way, enjoying the crotchless underwear Rachel gave you?"

Tobias was evidently surprised, what with the jerking and the sudden exclamation of \What?!/

I shrugged. "Just call me Mr. Security. I had to check on the well-being of my fellow warriors, you know."

\By hacking into their credit card accounts?/

"'Her'," I clarified. "Jake and Cassie don't have credit cards yet. I guess it's obvious who pays for your dates, huh?"

Tobias began preening. \Yeah, banks tend to frown on unemployed birds of prey. Particularly world-saving ones./ If I were Cassie, I'd have offered words-or paragraphs-of comfort. But I was Marco, and I offered a sardonic smile.

I whistled. "Banks really need to get their priorities straight."

\So we've got nothing?/ He said, talking shop again.

"Hate to say it, but nada. Squat. Absolutely zero." I leaned back on my chair and stretched my muscles. I've been in front of the computer for hours; and now that my concentration was disrupted I realized how cramped my muscles were. And the other muscle down there was feeling rather strained.

Tobias hopped off the bed and flew back to the window. \I'll tell Ax and Toby tonight. Call Jake. We need to set a meeting for tomorrow and finalize everything./

"We won't kill ourselves tonight?" I asked in genuine surprise. I'd been mentally preparing for a mission, but I can't say this devlopment got me complaining. My fan club should enjoy the news. I'm sure they have microphones hidden all over my bedroom. They'd better. A man doesn't feel appreciated enough unless his privacy's been invaded, you know?

\We decided not to. With something unprecedented like this, we'll need time to consider everything./

"That's a pleasant change. Maybe we should consider things for a year or so." It was a weak attempt at sarcasm, but I was still relishing the wave of relief.

Tobias looked at me the last time tonight. \We can't. You'd have driven yourself insane by then./ Tobias flew off.

I got off the chair and lay down on my bed. I considered continuing my quest for porn, but the thought of Tobias being on my bed drew me to lie down and release my tension.

The next day found us gathered together. Again. Planning how to get killed. Again.

"The question is: how do we find her?" Cassie said, opening the discussion.

We were in the woods this time. Cassie's dad was home, which meant the barn was off-limits unless we planned on shoveling manure for two hours. I, for one, fully objected to having close contact with such. Being sane, unlike Cassie, and not being smitten with Cassie, like Jake, tend to keep things in perspective.

Besides, Ax would join us this time, and the woods were always safer for secret rendezvous for us Taxxon lunchables. When I said "teenagers with a death-wish," I had no idea things would be this complicated.

"Our usual sources for information have dried up. She has no online identity, and she's exempt from pretending normalcy," Cassie continued.

"And if she's a sub-visser, I doubt she'll make a lot of leisure trips outside the Yeerk Pool," I added.

"Then obviously, we have to go to the Yeerk Pool," Rachel said. She flashed her dangerous grin. "And for that, we'll need a diversion." The girl, and I can't express this often enough, is insane.

I rolled my eyes. "We've always done that. Whenever we do anything drastic, the Yeerks know to watch their backs. Any open attack is automatically a diversion . . . Holy shit, I just gave you an idea, didn't I?" I said, glancing at Jake.

"Ax's idea, actually," Jake clarified.

"Great. As long as I'm free from blame." I shifted my gaze to our resident alien. "And I thought you were sensible, Ax."

\Your human notions of sense are greatly distorted/ he replied. I see. So Ax has been sucking Tobias's humor after all. \But as we discussed, it's not a question of searching for this human controller. Instead, we should draw her to us. Being a sub-visser, her presence in momentous strategic events is called for./

"So we give them a momentous strategic event," Cassie said, looking thoughtful. "Such as?"

"A Hork-Bajir raid," Jake answered. "Toby's already planning on sending her troops to another Yeerk outpost. She agreed to let us work alongside them."

"Another false-capture operation? Not a chance," Rachel interrupted. She didn't look at Tobias, but we all knew she didn't have to.

\You know I'm okay/ Tobias said. \If the mission calls for it, I'll do it again./ I was about to ask him if he was sure about that when I noticed he was looking only at Rachel. And none of the others reacted to his statement. Rachel glanced at him and nodded ever so imperceptibly.

I just felt confused, but I filed it away for later perusal.

\It won't be another false capture operation/ Ax clarified silently.

I waited. The suspense was thickening.

"What, they'll hold people hostage and demand to see the sub-visser? That's not very subtle, is it?" I asked incredulously.

Jake shook his head. "No. They'll destroy it completely. And we'll wait there until the sub-visser herself assesses the damages."

Rachel seemed satisfied with the promise of violence. Cassie spotted a problem that I was just considering. "What makes us so sure the sub-visser will go?"

\Because if Erek's right, she's the only witch among the Yeerks, right?/ Tobias, this time. \And according to Toby, the outpost they'll attack is a storehouse of crystals and herbs, which are definitely not standard Yeerk weaponry./

I raised my hand. "Anyone else see the neon sign saying 'TRAP!' written all over it?"

Rachel nodded. "In flashing red letters."

A/N: As usual, points for constructive criticism in the comments please. Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Uncalled For (Chapter 4)

**Title:** The Uncalled For (Chapter 4)  
**Author:** house arrest  
**Pairings:** Gen at first, future Tobias/Marco  
**Summary:** The Animorphs are used to dealing with enemies that can use science way more advanced than anything humans have ever seen. Heck, they are results of science more advanced than anything human. But what if the Yeerks found a completely different approach to conquering the human race?

- - - - - - -  
The others flew to the Hork-Bajir colony. Jake and I used our wolf morphs and ran another direction, towards the Yeerk outpost we'll soon be visiting.

[Tobias, Ax, and I already scouted the area by air yesterday,] Jake explained as we ran at full speed. [The place is exactly what we'd expect.]

[A death-trap surrounded by monstrous bladed wheels of death, huge dracon canons, and not to mention overly hyped Hork-Bajir looking for anything to kill? Hence _death_ trap.] I jerked left and dodged a sequoia like it was no big deal. As if crashing into it at this speed didn't mean certain death. For this, I needed the wolf's instincts.

Jake was a little bit ahead of me, what with leading the way and all. It'd have been hard to lead the way from behind. [All cunningly concealed as part of the landscape. Except for the giant wheels of death. We must've missed that.] He dodged a pine that had the guts to stand in our way. I followed suit. We did all this without even slowing down.

Wolf morph. Very cool.

But it does have its downsides. Jake stopped for the third time since we started and marked a tree. Like with most morphs, we decided to just go along with this instinct instead of having Jake fight it all the time. I waited for him while keeping an eye out for danger. Or so I told myself.

The truth was our wolf senses could have smelled or heard anything approaching even without seeing them. I kept my eyes busy so that I didn't have to look at Jake. We're best pals and all, but seeing him pee is way beyond the line.

And I didn't have to tolerate the smell because I wasn't breathing.

It wasn't the smell of urine that's getting to me. The forest is filled with animal pee, and Jake's is just another one to add to the list; what I couldn't stand was how Jake smells. Keep in mind that my wolf morph is female and his is an alpha male's. And it was mating season. Which meant my morph was attracted to Jake's morph, and that is SO WRONG on so many levels.

Yet another nightmare to deal with.

Jake finished his thing and took off. I followed a split-second later. It was easier to ignore his smell when I had to run. I breathed again.

[But really, the place isn't well guarded at all,] Jake continued. A raccoon scampered out of our way as we barreled along. [Sure, you have human and Hork-Bajir guards with hand-held dracons, but we didn't spot anything else. No automated defenses, no alarm sensors, not even human nets they used around the logging company. That's why we're scouting in wolf morph, to try another perspective.]

[So you're hoping we can smell something. Or are we supposed to hope we _don't_ smell anything?] I asked. It helped if I knew what to hope for. Or against. It depends on his answer.

[Either of the two. If we smell something, it confirms additional security. If we don't, it means they've accounted morphs with a good sense of smell so they've prepared for that as well. Or it could mean there's just nothing to smell.]

[Great, as long as it's all clear,] I grumbled. All in all, it's not turning out to be a good day.

Jake didn't say anything else on the matter. [When will you leave for Acapulco?] He asked. When Jake made small talk, it meant things were seriously out of whack. Or not serious at all. One of the two.

I'm starting to hate all this ambiguity.

[I'll let you know as soon as I manage to forge a passing grade.]

Jake chuckled weakly. [And here I was, thinking at least one of us will get some time off. Nice to hear we'll still be at full force.]

[It's all Nora's fault. If she hadn't played her feminine mathly wiles on my dad, he wouldn't care about my grades. Teachers. They need to be dealt with. She's a controller, you know.] It was worth a shot...

Jake made the thought-speech equivalent of a scoff. [Because she got your dad to care about your academic well-being. Man, if only all controllers were like that.]

[Jake, this is serious,] I said in as serious a tone as I could muster. [What if controllers are monitoring our GPAs? What if they're on the look-out for teens that began underperforming since the start of the Andalite threat? It could mean they're on to us!]

[Marco, your dad's allowed to be happy. He's a guy. Just like us.]

I stopped. I actually stopped running in indignation and horror at the thought. Jake noticed and paused as well. [You have officially have began spending too much time with Cassie.]

He rolled his eyes. Believe me: you have not seen anyone dismiss your idea until he does so in wolf morph. He ran without even dignifying me with a reply. I ran after him.

I wonder how much they _have_ been talking about me. Jake's not someone I can hide secrets from, and Cassie's not someone _anyone_ can hide secrets from. I've been keeping a big one from the whole group, but I wonder how much those two have noticed.

I've been meaning to tell Jake. I mean, it won't be a big deal to him and we've known each other since we were kids. I should know, right? But it took me a long time to tell myself, and an even longer time to accept it. Telling anyone else, even Jake, would be so much harder. Even if he promised to keep it a secret. Even if he promised not to tell Cassie.

And knowing him, he won't say a thing until I bring it up. Or unless it harms the integrity of the group.

Pity. Great.

[Jake?] I said. It can't be too hard, right?

[Yeah?] He called back. The guy knows everything about me. He won't pity me if I tell him. He won't hold it against me. Right?

Because I'd totally kick his ass if he does.

[I . . . smell something.] I stopped running. He followed suit, and I saw his ears perk up and nose point just a bit higher. There was a subtle scent in the air, but it was enough to send the alarm bells go off in my head. I wonder if the wolf instincts sensed my internal anguish and interpreted it as a threat.

[You're right,] he said after a sniff.

Oh well. Screw that coming out.

I focused on what it was I smelled. Wait, that can't be right. [Is it just me, or am I smelling vegetable dip?]

[That's what I'm getting as well,] Jake confirmed.

[But that makes sense, right? Since we're going to a place where they keep herbs. They're bound to have vegetable dip there.]

[Or at least ingredients for vegetable dip.] Jake shook his head seriously. I think he was being serious, but try to keep a straight face when you see a wolf shake its head. [We're still some ways away from the outpost. We shouldn't be smelling the supplies yet.]

I shrugged. [So they accidentally dropped some on the road.]

[Right,] he replied. [Except that they store everything in sealed crates.] He took a few more deep breaths and I followed suit.

I noticed something else. [There's a human scent beneath it all,] I observed.

[Yeah, but it's a few days old.] Jake walked around in circles with his nose to the ground. [I can't find anything else but trace scents.]

The mental alarm bells began to slow down. [Maybe they dropped a crate, cracked it a bit and spilled some herbs, but they didn't stay long enough to leave a stronger scent.]

[Yeah, maybe.] Jake sniffed around some more then stopped and cocked his ears. [Nothing's near us, anyway. Let's go on.] We resumed running, but the smell of vegetable dip was at the back of our minds. And for the rest of the way, the smell was always there.

After a moment of silence, he asked, [So, what did you want to say?]

I laughed wryly but a bit nervously. He remembered that? [Nothing. It's just that this drove things more insane than they already are. It's like we're not satisfied with science so now we deal with guys waving wands and screaming _abra cadabra_?]

[Just one. And a girl.]

I ignored him. [Maybe we're just kids in a mental hospital and we're sharing an adventure, you know? And after a while, we got bored with playing sci-fi so we decided to shift to magic instead. We probably have the attention span of gnats.]

[Well, if that's the case, at least you didn't lose a chance to go to Acapulco. Because the chance wasn't real at all, right?] he shot back.

[Way to keep things in perspective, big guy,] I replied.

[It's the secret to my sanity.]

[In which case, I am so dead.] I caught a new scent. Still subtle, but at least this was a scent I was looking for. Human scent, and stronger than the earlier whiff. [We're near, aren't we.]

Jake slowed down until we were neck to neck. [Just a bit more,] he replied. We kept our speed, but we were also wary of our surroundings. There were fewer animals as we progressed.

After a while, Jake noticed something I didn't even register. [Is it just me, or is the smell not getting any stronger?]

[Should it be?]

[By now, yeah. We're pretty close. We should smell human controllers.]

[Unless they have an on-site shower,] I muttered. [How much further?]

[Just beyond that last line of trees.]

I noticed that the wolf wasn't alarmed. And that was what alarmed me. It should be letting me know in no uncertain terms that we were going to encounter trouble . . . but the wolf brain was silent.

We slowed down and looked into the clearing.

There was a building in there alright, one that sort of looked out of place in the forest. It was about the size of a small clinic but painted brown instead of white.

And the place was deserted. The windows opened into empty offices. No sound whatsoever came from within and there were no smells of technology at all.

[This isn't right,] Jake said. [We counted as much as eight human controllers and about half a dozen Hork Bajir yesterday, and there were crates of supplies all over the place.] He stepped back but still kept his eyes on the building.

I planted a paw forward. [They can't have just left so easily; there'd be trace smells. Insect repellants. Soap. Rubber. Stuff like that. The air smells like it's been scrubbed clean.]

[Yeerk technology?] Jake suggested.

[Can't be. Or else they'd have used it on the logging site as well when Cassie sprayed it.]

Jake stepped forward as well. [And look at the ground. No footsteps or paw-prints. No tracks whatsoever.]

I looked at Jake. [Are we lost?]

Jake looked at me, then back at the building, then around us. [Can't be. It's the same place.]

We just stood there at a complete loss for words. Without verbally agreeing to it, we trotted back. [Magic, huh?]

He nodded.

- - - - - - -  
A/N: As usual, I'd appreciate constructive criticism in the comments please.

I tried to make the chapter longer, but I decided against something too long right after the very brief third chapter. Also, I read through it, but there could still be typos. I'm not very good at catching typos in my own works. Please feel free to point them out XD


	5. Chapter 5

_**The Uncalled For, Chapter 5**_  
**Title:** The Uncalled For (Chapter 4)  
**Author:** LJ: 7dragon_zodiac / : house arrest  
**Pairings:** Gen at first, future Tobias/Marco  
**Summary:** The Animorphs are used to dealing with enemies that can use science way more advanced than anything humans have ever seen. Heck, they _are_ results of science more advanced than anything human. But what if the Yeerks found a completely different approach to conquering the human race?

Chapter 1  
Chapter 2  
Chapter 3  
Chapter 4

We reached the Hork Bajor colony just they were leaving for the outpost. The warriors had already warmed up and were itching to leave, though I don't think they really understood what was going on. They knew we needed their help and Toby Hamee, their Seer and leader, told them what to do. Beyond that, though, the warriors knew nothing else. It's not that we wanted to keep them in the dark; the Hork Bajir, as a species, just weren't the type of people you could strategize with.

"All the more reason why we should proceed," Toby said as we told them why we stopped them from leaving, "though we must change objectives. If the Yeerks abandoned their old outpost, they must have done so for a reason. We must discover their reason and determine if it is advantageous to us."

Toby, it must be said, is an exception. We try not thinking of her as another species entirely. She's her generation's Seer, a Hork Bajir who can think at the level of an Andalite thanks to a genetic mutation, the one imperfection her creators failed to overcome.

"I agree with Toby," Rachel said. "If they were driven out of there, then they have another weakness. We have to find out." She stomped a perfect foot for emphasis, and I admit, if I were on the floor and she stomped on me, I wouldn't exactly mind. As long as we were alone, of course.

"_If_ they were driven out at all," Cassie interjected. "They could have left voluntarily for reasons we can't control. Or they could have fooled us somehow." She looked questioningly at Jake. "Any chance that may have been a hologram?"

Jake looked at her thoughtfully. "It's possible, I guess."

[I would have to disagree, Prince Jake,] Ax said, his main eyes looking at me and Jake while his stalk eyes considered everyone else. [If they used a hologram to trick you, then they must have been aware of your presence. It seems unlikely that the Yeerks would continuously project a hologram simply on the off-chance that there may be guerilla warriors surveying their outpost. The energy expenditure would be unthinkable, and the outpost's location makes energy transfer impractical.]

We all nodded at that. I, personally, was still processing the part where he said "I have to disagree."

Fortunately, Toby was with us. "Could they have created a means to generate power in such a secluded environment?"

Back when Toby was still young, Ax preferred not to include her in our meetings. He wouldn't address her directly, most times wouldn't even _look_ at her. Even though he's spent years here on Earth, in a sector of space where he was the only free Andalite, their culture of pride and honor still drove him. He mellowed down after a while, particularly when Toby sometimes trumped him in psychological analyses. Now, he's acknowledged that she could match him in thinking, but that doesn't mean they see eye to (four) eye(s).

[It's possible, yes, but highly unlikely. Though if they stole such technology, I imagine they would prioritize other pursuits.]

I was looking at the young Hork Bajir frolicking in the valley. Some of them were from the second generation; the first free-born were now young adults and they were being trained to fight. Their life was no longer simply stripping bark and living peacefully.

And I thought hooking up with girls was hard enough.

Tobias landed on a branch above me. [I don't think they're using a hologram,] he said. [Remember, Jake and Marco went there as wolves because we weren't relying on eyesight.]

"He's right!" Jake said maybe a bit too excitedly. "That's been bugging me for a while now. Holograms trick eyesight, but Marco and I were relying on our nose and ears... Oh."

I smiled sardonically at him. "Got there yet, Einstein? This means they found a way to trick our other senses as well. Wait, you mean you didn't think of this before?" I said in mock indignation and surprise. "We really shouldn't let a jock like him lead the group," I told the rest in a stage whisper.

[Highly unlikely,] Ax repeated. [There is no precedence for such a development.]

"I must agree with Aximili," Toby said. One of Ax's stalk eyes twirled to look at her. "The Yeerks have so far experienced this planet according to species reliant on vision. Without experiencing the diversity of senses, they won't appreciate the difficulty of defending against multiple points of infiltration."

Cassie and Jake nodded while Rachel shook her head. "That's a good point, Toby, but it's not concrete."

I raised my hand. "Is it okay if I end the world now? Because I kind of agree with Rachel." If Rachel had stalk eyes, I guess she would have turned one of them to me as well. Okay, that was _not_ a pretty picture.

"If they tricked us at all," Cassie reminded us. "It's possible that they simply moved out."

I rolled my eyes. She also had a point, but it was far less dramatic than the other possibility. Being a superhero is all about drama. "Either way, we still have to make sure. Right, big guy?" I asked Jake.

He rubbed his eyes, and I wondered how old his mind had become. I wondered how much I contributed to his stress.

Too bad for him. He can deal with it.

He looked towards Cassie. "Is there anything in the barn we can use that has another type of sense?"

Cassie crossed her arms and shook her head. "We only have the usual animals, and the easiest I can think of is a bat's echolocation. Would that count?" she asked the group at large.

At which point we just looked at each other blankly. Ax twirled his tailblade, his gesture to indicate thought.

"Echolocation uses sound," Jake volunteered.

[Well, yeah,] Tobias said. [But it uses sound differently. Sort of like active listening, sending sound waves out and letting them bounce off surfaces, not like how we usually just wait for what sounds come our way.]

"I think we have been approaching this problem entirely incorrectly." We all looked at Toby as she spoke. "It appears we have been facing the Yeerks for so long that we've become linear in our thinking. As the Chee have stated, this is an unprecedented event, a new weapon that we have not experienced before." She looked at each of us Animorphs, and she held our gaze longer than was comfortable. "The Chee said we are combating an Earth force known as magic. It is unfamiliar to me and Aximili, and according to what Tobias let us know, it is incredibly complicated to the point that no one is sure what it truly is."

"Well," I began. I didn't really know how to continue. How _do_ you explain magic to an alien?

Cassie was looking at Rachel, who was looking back at her brow furrowed. Ax and Tobias were probably immersed in their own discussion since neither was looking at anyone else. I raised an eyebrow at Jake.

He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Uh, Toby, listen," he said diplomatically. "We'll get back to you on that one. For now it's research time. Marco and Tobias, talk to Erek, try to get other perspectives to work with. And what else..."

Toby nodded, bowed, and left the group to attend to... whatever it is Hork Bajir need diplomats for. Maybe hoarding pine bark?

[Prince Jake, I think it would be best if I converse with Toby Hamee. I do not wish to be exclusivist but I think your upcoming discussion would be most efficient when held between humans.] Jake nodded and Ax left.

"How about Tidwell?" Rachel asked.

I shook my head. "We might expose him accidentally if we make contact with him now."

"Well, there's a magic group in school," Cassie said. We all looked at her.

Jake nodded. "Okay. Er." He ran his hands through his hair. "Man, this is awkward."

"Come on," I chided, "it's not like this is totally new, right? This is just another chapter in our insane lives as Animorphs. Alien invaders not enough for you? Call us now and we'll come up with something entirely different! Pick from a wide variety of-"

[Marco, dude,] Tobias interrupted, [you're my pal and all, but if you don't shut up I'm going to crap on your head.]

Can't argue with that. For the sake of cleanliness, I silenced myself.

"So, the magic group...?"

"Yeah, the magic group." Jake continued. "Rachel?"

Rachel shrugged. "I can try. Basically just another clique, right?"

Cassie coughed, stood up and put an arm around her best friend. "No offense, Rachel, but I think I'm a better option. That group's not exactly open to the popular type."

Rachel's eyes flashed as she silently cracked her knuckles. "They're nature-type people, right? I'm sure they'd love to meet a grizzly bear up close."

"Are we really sure this is a good idea?" I asked as I moved away from beneath Tobias. Just in case he minded my picking on his girl. "If the body count in school goes up I'm pretty sure Chapman will notice."

"No one will mind if you're the first person to die mysteriously," she replied sweetly. For some weird reason, I don't think Rachel needs a knight in shining armor.

"Just leave it to me," Cassie said confidently.

"Rachel," Jake continued, "we'll also talk to other magic groups, just not the one in school. But we really have to be careful: we avoid groups where there's a member from the Sharing."

I raised my hand as I settled down on my new log. One above which there was no branch for a certain pesky hawk to perch on. "I'd be better off investigating with you guys."

Rachel snorted. Cassie smirked while Jake managed to keep a straight face. "Yeah, considering magic groups have a lot of girls, I think you'd be more helpful with the Chee."

[We're just looking out for you, dude,] Tobias.

I narrowed my eyes at everyone. "Fine, good luck with that," I said darkly. "Just keep in mind that some groups like to practice their thing _naked_."

That shut them up. Jake's face turned deep red, and when Cassie looked at him her face soon followed. Rachel cocked an eyebrow at me: a subtle high-five. "They both need to be exposed to it sometime," she said.

I stood up and began to morph to owl. "At least it'll be _very educational_ for you, Big Jake," I said evilly. "See you guys tomorwweeee-" I said as my mouth transformed.

A minute later, I was flying beneath the rising moon with Tobias beside me. I didn't notice exactly when the smell of vegetable dip vanished.

**Author's Notes:** Hi! Err… welcome back? Sorry for the very long wait between the fourth chapter and this one; I was busy with a lot of things. Anyway, the important thing is that there's an update, right? Right.


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